Writing Contests 2022 – Five Writing Contests that You Should Try

Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker, once said, “success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” As students, one of the best ways to practice and improve little by little is to push ourselves closer to our limits every day. The sum of this small yet consistent effort helps us get closer to our goals. 

Here in AOS Essays, we believe in the importance of practicing one’s writing. Thus, while we offer custom writing services to those in need, it is also a part of our core tenet to provide an extensive resource of writing information, tips, and knowledge to our clients and readers. 

Accordingly, we’ve compiled a list of writing contests this 2022 for those who are hoping to get out of their comfort zones and test the waters. We chose these five among the multitude of writing competitions on the web-based on their reputation, accessibility, Prize, and even the experiences of our AOS associates (yes, plenty of our writers either won or were nominated for writing competitions), among others. 

Note that while there are a lot of other writing competitions that you could choose from, we primarily focused on those which were personally experienced by expert writers that I know of. 

I. Writing Contests 2022 – Top Five List

1. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 2022

The best and most prestigious writing competition on our list is the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 2022. The scholastic awards are hailed as one of the “longest-running, most prestigious recognition programs for creative teens” as it began as early as 1923.

Today, it is sponsored by some of the biggest players in writing, education, and the news industry, including the New York Times and Amazon.

The competition is for students from Grades 7 to 12 and offers about 28 categories of writing and art competitions. While this is not one of the free writing competitions in the market, its registration is relatively low, with entry fees ranging from “$7.00 per individual entry and $25.00 per portfolio entry”. 

One of the main reasons I believe that the Scholastic Awards should top the list for “Writing Contests 2022” is its benefits.

On the one hand, the competition awards the top winner with about $10,000, which is significantly higher compared to other competitions. Aside from this, the winners are also given recognition through publications, exhibitions, and scholarships, to name a few. 

On the other hand, the Scholastic competition is also one of the best (if not the best) avenues to build one’s network. One of our senior associates in AOS Essays who was nominated back then said that pretty much “all winners were already set up for life.” I’m not surprised by this, considering that the judges were luminaries in the writing and arts. 

However, one of the setbacks of this competition is the sheer difficulty of winning. Now in its 99th year, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 2022 committee reported about 260,000 submissions from students in the United States and Canada, which suggests how sought-after this award is.

2. L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest

One of the most sought-after writing contests in science fiction and fiction. L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest offers an excellent opportunity for students, hobbyists, and even expert writers. It is a free writing competition, accessible to anyone as long as they register and follow the instructions on their website. Its panel of judges is also made up of expert writers and novelists in the field, meaning that only the best and most innovative essays can win in the finals. 

Nonetheless, what I liked most about this free writing competition was its direct and indirect benefits to the writers. 

On the one hand, one of the direct benefits of this writing competition is that it offers a cash prize ($1,000, $750, or $500) every three months and other prizes for the grand winners. All entrants also retain the right to their works, which means that they can publish them and earn royalties if they want to. 

On the other hand, the Writers of the Future Contest is also one of the best avenues to expand your horizon and widen your networks. Whether you want to delve into science fiction or fiction writing or are merely trying to improve your writing skills, this competition would allow you to do both. In fact, one of the senior writers in AOS Essays said how beneficial this competition is in building networks with other novel writers.  

3. Peter Porter Poetry Prize (PPPP)

For poem lovers out there just like me, here’s your chance. Peter Porter’s Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious poetries writing competitions that made (as always) this year’s list of Legitimate Poetry Writing Contests 2022. As described by its organizers, the Australian Book Review,

The Peter Porter Poetry Prize is one of Australia’s most prestigious prizes for a new poem. The Prize – open to all poets writing in English – is named after the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010).

The Peter Porter Poetry Prize is one of Australia’s most prestigious prizes for a new poem. The Prize – open to all poets writing in English – is named after the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010).

Despite the prestige and the sheer difficulty of winning this competition, I personally liked it since it is open to all poets and writers around the world. All you need is the capacity to speak in English and an “a single poem of no more than 70 lines, written in English.” Win this, and you not only get AU$ 6,000 for the winner and AU$1,000 for four shortlisted poets.

Check out their official competition website using the following link Poetry Contests Free.

4. The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities

The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities is “awarded to the best monograph submitted to the Press in the broad field of environmental humanities.” As provided on its official website, “to compete for this award, manuscripts must emphasize research in primary and secondary sources and quality writing in the tradition of Wallace Stegner.” 

As a researcher by rote, one of the things that I liked about this award is that entries must balance between “appeal” and “scholarly narrative history.” This then provides an excellent avenue to practice one’s writing capacities, especially for students who tend to focus on the ‘objective part’ of the research process. 

Fortunately, one of our AOS Essay Associates, who won an award after participating in the competition, described the whole contest as “captivating, challenging, and fulfilling… a process that requires you to put on one’s thinking cap while pondering about the reader’s desire”.

…captivating, challenging, and fulfilling… a process that requires you to put on one’s thinking cap while pondering about the reader’s desire.

Ultimately, the winner “will receive a $5,000 award and a publication contract with the University of Utah Press”. 

For those looking for more information about this contest, check out this link “Writing Contests 2022 – The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities“.

5. The Reedsy Prompts Contests

Next on our list is a part of my personal list for “Top Short Story Writing Contests 2022”. As compared to the other contenders on our list, Reedsy’s competition is short yet fulfilling. Our writers who have joined this occasionally would even call this “writing for the sake of it.”

Nonetheless, despite its low cash prize ($250) and a high number of competitors, Reedsy’s competition does not require a tight format and manner of content. Writers only have to write short stories, essays, or commentaries based on thousands of ‘prompts’ they can choose. 

Note, however, that Reedsy’s competition does not have many indirect benefits besides giving you an avenue to practice your writing. Thus, while I don’t believe that this is for students and professionals looking for high prizes, I would certainly recommend it to hobbyists who mainly want to improve their writing skills. 

II. What’s the Next Step [Writing Contests 2022]

As the old adage goes, “practice makes perfect.” If you want to practice your writing, then these writing contests for 2022 would surely allow you to go outside your comfort zone. In my personal experience, writing contests allow you more than just practice; but also expand your horizon, build your networks, and critically think about the situation at hand. 

In the end, hundreds of competitions are only waiting for you to try and learn and explore for yourself.